100 1 Percents

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I have a feeling that lots of folks are chasing a non-existent silver bullet. They are performing at a level 'x' and they're looking for the special real estate internet marketing tool or technique or potion that will get them performing at 2x or 3x.

Well, I'm going to tell you something that you may not want to hear. What you're looking for just doesn't exist. If you want to improve your performance, you're going to have to do a lot of little things.

In the end, all of these little improvement, these optimizations, will add up. I like to assume that every improvement I make will increase my effectiveness by 1%. Every time I improve my technique or add a feature or crate a special offer or improve a campaign, I can expect a 1% improvement. So, if I want to double my effectiveness, I need to make 100 improvements. In general, I find this to be a pretty good rule of thumb.

A very successful salesman once said that the secret to his success was that he called people back. Well, you might be thinking, "I call people back." Well, do you really? How quickly do you call them back. How many times do you call them back. Let me give you a few guidelines that I think will each give you a 1% (or probably much greater) chance of improving your sales performance:

Try to call every lead back within 1 hour. If you don't see the lead for a while, that's ok. maybe you were on a showing or driving or taking a swim. It's ok. Just try to get back to everyone in an hour. if you get back to that home buyer in 2 hours, don't hate yourself.
If you don't get them on the first call, call again the following day.
If you don't get in touch with the lead after 2 calls, call again.
Call back 5 times, once per day, over 5 or 7 business days. Watch how many more of your leads you'll actually have a conversation with!
Use a real lead management package - of course we recommend LogicLeads, but I'm not selling here - enter each lead into the system. Enter each planned follow-up into the system and catalog your showings, emails and call, even if all you did was leave a voicemail.

OK, if you're reading this and thinking," I already have a system like this and I execute it every time." Good for you! I bet you're also a pretty good producer. There's always room for improvement, but I think you can focus your 1%'s on other aspects real estate marketing, like blogging or newsletter writing.

But, if you're reading this and saying, "I know. I really should be better at following up with my leads and contacts." Well, it's time to make some small changes. Those 1% improvements really add up.

OH - I almost forgot.

I was reading Matt Cutt's post about Google factoring in load speed into their search algorithm. I should mention that I was reading High Rankings Advisor and found the link to the post by Matt. At any rate, Matt mentioned that fewer than 1% of sites would see a change in their ranking in the search engine results are a result of Google including load time in their 200 or so factors which determine search engine placement. Now you know where I came up with the title of this blog post!

Easily Persuaded?

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Sometimes, someone comes along and tells you that they’ve solved all of your problems. It sounds like a great solution, it sounds like a good deal. STOP! Don't jump.

Every once in a while, someone pitches one of our clients and tells them that their solution is the best thing since sliced bread. Our clients are bombarded by advertisers, software companies, real estate website providers, online marketing companies, you name it. They're calling and emailing and calling again.

Most of the clients who buy from Boston Logic take a highly measured approach. They figure out what they need, what it costs, compare solutions, and we come out on top. We're fine with this process. We're happy to go feature for feature with any platform.

Here's what stings: it's when the client gets a call from someone and doesn't do their homework. They make an impulse buy because the pitch over the phone was just that good. We're constantly amazed that business decisions are actually made this way.

Do you really have 2 completely different buying processes? For some expenses, you take weeks to figure out the right solution, document features, develop a budget, and then make an informed decision. For other purchases, you decide to spend thousands of dollars in literally minutes?

Here's a recommendation.

Consider any purchase carefully. Make decisions based on numbers, whenever possible. Real numbers. I'm talking about data. For example, If you're considering a new online marketing media, try to understand a cost/user or cost/lead. If you can't do better than where you are currently investing, don't buy it.

Also, don't get sold on one feature or even one idea. Look at a solution holistically. It's easy for a salesman to tell you about a nice feature in their website product and ask, "Does your real estate website do that?" Indeed, it may not, but there may be 20 features that your site does have that the product he's selling does not. I can't tell you how many clients have chosen other vendors only to come back to Boston Logic telling us that they made a poor decision.

If you need help developing specifications or comparing real estate web site design solutions, we're happy to help. Just contact the real estate website team of Boston Logic. Thanks.

LogicClassroom Announcement: Understanding the “Long Tail” Keywords

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We hope you can join us Tues. September 14th at 5:00 pm for our next LogicClassroom (and free webinar) on "Long Tail" Niche Marketing.

You may have heard the Long Tail term in the past as it applies to optimizing your real estate website, but what does it really mean? How has it changed or improved in the years since the concept's introduction in 2008? And is it still a viable theory today?

In September's LogicClassroom, we'll answer these questions and more, as well as give you a quick refresher (or introduction!) course on the basics of optimization and real estate SEO. The internet has changed the way that businesses think about real estate internet marketing, and you should be up to speed. You need to understand The Long Tail, while also being able to achieve a balance with it in your online marketing campaign - and we can help!

You are welcome to attend at the Boston Logic office (view map), or participate through an online webinar. The class begins at 5pm.

To attend, please contact Katrina at 617.266.9166 or by email at ksierant@bostonlogic.com. Please specify whether you will attend the class at our office or online. We look forward to seeing you there!

LogicClassroom: Bounce Rate Slide Presentation

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Thanks to all who attended our latest LogicClassroom on Understanding your website's Bounce Rate this past Tuesday!

In this webinar, we learned all about your website's bounce rate, and how it relates to your real estate website design. We also came to understand the difference between your bounce rate and exit rate: a website's bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave your website without clicking through any additional pages, while your web page's exit rate shows the last page that a user looked at before using your site.

Logic classroom bounce rate

View more presentations from Boston Logic.

There were also some helpful numbers given for a real estate website's typical bounce rate: a 30%-50% bounce rate is normal, less than 20% is optimal. However, if your website has a 60% or greater bounce rate, it may be time to take a look at your website more thoroughly to understand where you are losing visitors.

Remember that web design matters for your website, and the goal of your landing page is to be sticky: that is, make sure that visitors will want to be engaged with your website, and that they can find what they are looking for intuitively.

Boston Logic offers comprehensive real estate website design services, and you can contact us at any time to inquire about how we can help you with your website!

Our next free, 1/2 hour LogicClassroom webinar will take September 14th. Check back often for the topic announcement!

Whale Watching with Boston Logic

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The hardworking real estate web design team here at Boston Logic went out into the city last weekend for some excellent company bonding via whale watching and lunch. We took advantage of the great New England sun (while still here!) and had a fantastic day on the water. Here are some images of our Boston adventure for your personal enjoyment!

We started at Max's Restaurant for some breakfast, then headed over to the docks by the Boston Aquarium to board for our whale watching tour through Boston Harbor Cruises. It was a bit longer than a three hour tour, as we left at 10:00 am and returned around 3:30, but it was worth it. The high-speed boat took us off the coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts to see some whales.

The tour didn't disappoint. As soon as we arrived at our destination, we saw gorgeous humpback whales all around the boat, and we were able to get really close. We saw flukes, flipper-slapping, and were able to appreciate the sheer size of these animals as they swam about 10 feet parallel to our boat!

We ended the day at Boston's Durgin Kitchen in Fanueil Hall. After filling up on a variety of deliciously fried seafood (after being on the ocean all day, it felt appropriate) we went our separate ways to each take our perspective post-adventure naps. We had an amazing time!

100 1 Percents

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Easily Persuaded?

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LogicClassroom Announcement: Understanding the “Long Tail” Keywords

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